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Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Presented By Startwire
Things You Really Need To Know...68 Of 'Em!
1. The Northeast Conference will employ a campus site playoff format for the 14th year in a row after an eight-year absence that saw the league’s annual postseason tournament contested at one campus site (1999), at a municipal arena (2000-01) and at a single campus site for the quarterfinals and semifinals, followed by the highest remaining seed hosting the championship game (1998, 2002-04). The conference had previously employed a high-seed hosting format from 1991-97, though teams were not reseeded after the quarterfinals as the tournament is currently constructed.
2. Of the eight teams that qualified for the 2017 NEC Tournament, six return again this season. The newcomers are Central Connecticut and St. Francis Brooklyn.
3. The longest current qualification streak belongs to Robert Morris at 15 in a row. The longest streak in league history belongs to Fairleigh Dickinson, which made 18 straight appearances from 1984-01.
4. There have been six back-to-back NEC Tournament winners. Robert Morris has turned the trick three times (1982-83, 1989-90 and 2009-10), along with Marist (1986-87), Rider (1993-94) and LIU Brooklyn (2011-12-13).
5. LIU Brooklyn is the only NEC school to win three straight NEC Tournament championships (2011 to 13).
6. Quarterfinal round play has been a rather predictable affair in recent years. The #1 and #2 seeds are 25-1 over the last 13 seasons and the #1, #2 and #3 seeds are 35-4 in the quarterfinals over that same span with the lone upsets coming in 2017 when #7 Robert Morris edged #2 LIU Brooklyn, 69-68, in 2016 when #6 LIU Brooklyn downed #3 Sacred Heart, 84-76, in 2014 when #6 Saint Francis U beat #3 Bryant, 55-54, and in 2005 when #6 Wagner stopped #3 Robert Morris, 69-65.
7. Likewise, home teams have posted a 32-8 record in the NEC quarterfinals over the last ten years and a 41-11 mark since the switch to campus sites in 2005.
8. In 2016, Fairleigh Dickinson became the first school to win the NEC crown after failing to qualify for the tourney the previous year (when eligible).
9. Wagner enters the postseason after winning its third NEC regular season title. The Seahawks were also the 2002-03 and 2015-16 NEC regular season champs. Wagner has earned the NEC’s automatic berth to the Postseason NIT.
10. Robert Morris has won a conference-best eight NEC Tournament championships.
11. Robert Morris has posted a 17-6 record in NEC Tournament play over the last nine years. The Colonials won the NEC title in 2009, 2010 and 2015, and have reached six title tilts in that span.
12. Since the league scrapped a divisional format in 1984, #1 seeds are a perfect 34-0 in their opening game of the NEC Tournament.
13. A team other than the top seed has won the NEC Tournament in four of the last five years and eight of the last 13 seasons.
14. As the top seed, Wagner will host games as long as it remains alive in the tournament. That’s a good thing for the Seahawks, who are a perfect 14-0 at home this season. Only five schools have posted perfect home records in the history of the league with four of the five winning the NEC title.
15. Only three teams in NEC annals have claimed the league championship after winning on the road in both the semifinals and title contest. Mount St. Mary’s has done it twice, most recently in 2014 when the Mount won at Wagner in the semis and at Robert Morris in the finals. The Mount also turned the trick in 2008, winning at Robert Morris in the semifinals and Sacred Heart in the title contest. Monmouth did it in 2006, beating CCSU in the semis and FDU for the championship. No NEC team has ever won three straight games on the road to win the league title. Teams that have won NEC title games on the road (not including neutral sites): Mount St. Mary’s (1995, 2008 and 2014), Robert Morris (1983, 2010 and 2015), FDU (1985, 1998 and 2016) and Monmouth (2006).
16. Mount St. Mary’s became the lowest seeded team (#6) to win the NEC Tournament back in 1999. In 2008 and 2014, the Mount became the second lowest seeded team (#4) to win it all.
17. After going 18 years without an NEC Tournament win, Saint Francis U reached the NEC semifinals in 2014 and 2015, and the NEC title game in 2017.
18. Looking to pick up their first-ever NEC Tournament wins will be CCSU second-year head coach Donyell Marshall and LIU Brooklyn first-year head coach Derek Kellogg.
19. Since moving to the eight-team tourney format in 1998 (seven qualified in 2001 only), Robert Morris has qualified for the NEC Tournament 19 out of 21 times. Wagner has made it 18 of those years, followed by 17 for Central Connecticut and St. Francis Brooklyn. LIU Brooklyn and Mount St. Mary’ have made 16 postseason appearances, along with 14 for Fairleigh Dickinson, 12 for Saint Francis U, nine for Sacred Heart (first eligible in 2002) and four for Bryant (first eligible in 2013).
20. Robert Morris owns the most NEC tournament wins at home with 27. Prior to the 13 wins in Moon Township the last ten years, the other home victories for the Colonials all came between 1982 and 1994. LIU Brooklyn is second with 19, followed by Wagner with 14 and Mount St. Mary’s with 13.
21. Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary’s have recorded the second and third best winning percentages, respectively, in NEC Tournament history. The Mountaineers are 27-16 (.628) and the Colonials are 40-25 (.615), trailing only Rider (11-3, .786). The 40 wins for RMU are the most in league annals.
22. Mount St. Mary’s has posted a 24-11 (.686) NEC Tournament record against current conference teams, the best mark in the league by a wide margin. The Mount has also gone 9-3 in the NEC playoffs under head coach Jamion Christian.
23. First round opponents Wagner and CCSU met in the quarterfinals three straight years from 2012-14 with the Seahawks winning at home each time.
24. Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris will renew their longstanding postseason rivalry when they play in Emmitsburg on Wednesday. The two teams have squared off a record 10 times in tournament play, with the Mountaineers holding a 6-4 advantage. The Mount and RMU squared off five straight years from 2006-10, four times in the last six years and twice in NEC title games (RMU won in 2009 and Mount won in 2014). The Mount ousted RMU last year in the NEC semis.
25. It has been some time since a #8 seed has threatened to pull off the first-ever upset of a #1 seed in NEC quarterfinal round play. In 2005, Monmouth’s Marques Alston hit a layup at the buzzer to give the Hawks a 54-53 win over #8 CCSU. In 2006, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Gordon Klaiber hit a bucket with ten seconds left on the clock as the Knights avoided the upset with a 66-65 triumph over #8 Quinnipiac.
26. The four sets of quarterfinal opponents should be quite familiar with each other. All four represent rematches from contests that took place last Thursday in the penultimate game of the regular season. The higher seed won all four of those games.
27. With its #3 seed, this marks Saint Francis U’s highest NEC Tournament seed since entering at #1 back in 1991, the same year the Red Flash won their lone NEC title. The Red Flash are 3-1 in quarterfinal games under head coach Rob Krimmel.
28. CCSU returns to the NEC Tournament field following a three-year absence. Prior to that, the Blue Devils had qualified for the playoffs 16 straight years.
29. Despite being charter NEC members, this will be just the fifth time LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn will face off in the postseason.
30. Fairleigh Dickinson was the only team in the field to win at #2 seed Mount St. Mary’s this season.
31. The four teams hosting quarterfinal games - Wagner (9-0), Mount St. Mary’s (8-1), Saint Francis U (7-2) and LIU Brooklyn (7-2) went a combined 31-5 (.861) against NEC teams at home over the course of the regular season. On the year, NEC teams were 55-35 (.611) at home in league play.
32. The higher seeds posted a 7-1 record against their lower-seeded quarterfinal opponents with #5 St. Francis Brooklyn posting the lone win over #4 LIU Brooklyn.
33. St. Francis Brooklyn snapped a 12-year stretch without an NEC Tournament win in 2015, advancing all the way to the NEC championship game.
34. Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel will be participating in his 13th NEC Tournament as a player, assistant or head coach for the Red Flash.
35. The entire CCSU roster will be making its first postseason appearance.
36. Sacred Heart has suffered the longest current drought among NEC members, last winning an NEC Tournament game back in 2009 when the Pioneers beat CCSU to reach the semis.
37. The #1 seed has reached the NEC title game in eight of the last nine years, but have won the crown only four times in that stretch.
38. Only six #7 seeds have ousted a #2 seed in the NEC Tournament, with four of these upsets coming in a five-year stretch from 2000-04. In 2004, Central Connecticut knocked out St. Francis Brooklyn (81-68) a year after Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Monmouth (63-61) in 2003. Quinnipiac topped Wagner (87-78) in 2002 and Mount St. Mary’s booted Fairleigh Dickinson (73-68) in 2000. Robert Morris ousted LIU Brooklyn (69-68) in 2017 and Marist beat Monmouth (75-60) in 1992.
39. Only three NEC Tournaments - in 1987, 1991 and 1994 - have gone exactly according to seeding.
40. There have been three NEC championship games that have gone to overtime, the most recent being LIU Brooklyn’s 85-82 win over Robert Morris in the 2011 title tilt. Also going past regulation were Fairleigh Dickinson’s 63-59 win over Loyola (MD) in 1985 and Marist’s 57-56 triumph over FDU in 1986.
41. Conference teams have posted a 109-39 record (.736) when hosting NEC Tournament games throughout the league’s history (current NEC teams only).
42. There are 10 players on postseason rosters who possess an NEC Championship ring. Four play for 2017 champion Mount St. Mary’s (Greg Alexander, Ryan Gomes, Junior Robinson and Chris Wray) and six for 2016 champion Fairleigh Dickinson (Darian Anderson, Darnell Edge, Mike Holloway, Malik Miller, Dondre Rhoden and Mike Schroback).
43. Central Connecticut has won three NEC titles, but only when seeded first in the field (2000, 2002 and 2007).
44. LIU Brooklyn has a 16-2 record when playing as the top seed and won four of its five NEC titles when seeded first in the field.
45. Monmouth’s rally from a 20-point second half deficit to win the 2001 NEC crown marked the biggest championship game comeback in league history.
46. Fairleigh Dickinson holds the league record for consecutive NEC semifinal appearances with nine in a row from 1983-91. Robert Morris (2008-15) reached the semis eight consecutive years, and St. Francis Brooklyn (1999-03) and Rider (1993-97) on five straight occasions.
47. LIU Brooklyn’s Julian Boyd (2012), Robert Morris’ Jeremy Chappell (2009), CCSU’s Javier Mojica (2007), Wagner’s Jermaine Hall (2003), Monmouth’s Rahsaan Johnson (2001), CCSU’s Rick Mickens (2000), LIU Brooklyn’s Charles Jones (1997), Rider’s Darrick Suber (1993), Robert Morris’ Myron Walker (1992), Saint Francis U’s Mike Iuzzolino (1991), Robert Morris’ Vaughn Luton (1989) and LIU Brooklyn’s Carey Scurry (1984) all were named NEC regular season and tournament Most Valuable Player. Incidentally, three of these players (Jones, Iuzzolino and Scurry) were named to the NEC’s 10-man 25th Anniversary team in January, 2006. Iuzzolino and Walker are NEC Hall of Famers.
48. In what will forever be known as “The Shot,” Rider’s Darrick Suber earned a place in NEC annals and ESPN Championship Week history in 1993. The Broncs and Seahawks battled tooth-and-nail for 39-plus minutes as Suber and Wagner’s Bobby Hopson waged their own individual dual. With the Broncs trailing by a point in the game’s waning seconds, Suber went coast-to-coast and hit an off-balance leaner just inside the free-throw line as time expired. The victory sent the Broncs Zoo into a frenzy and for a short time, brought the NEC into the forefront of the college basketball world.
49. The longest win streak in NEC Tournament history is nine, set by LIU Brooklyn from 2011-13. Robert Morris (1982-84 and 2009-11) and Rider (1993-95) each won eight straight.
50. Six NEC title games have been decided by exactly one point, the latest being Monmouth’s 49-48 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in 2006. A total of 16 have been decided by five points or less and 24 by ten or fewer points.
51. The 2011 NEC Tournament semifinals and championship games were decided by a combined total of seven points. The only tournament more closely contested was the 1996 event, in which six points separated the winners and losers.
52. The 2009 NEC title game between Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary’s was the lowest scoring finale in league history. The two teams combined for 94 points as the Colonials won 48-46, on a last second shot by RMU folk hero Dallas Green.
53. The 31 points scored by LIU Brooklyn’s CJ Garner in the 2013 title game and Jamal Olasewere in the 2011 NEC championship game were the most in a final since FDU’s Rahshon Turner scored 37 in the 1998 title tilt.
54. Former Robert Morris sharpshooter Coron Williams established a new NEC Tournament single-game record for three-pointers with eight against Monmouth on March 1, 2012. The Colonials drained trifectas 16 that night, also a conference record.
55. LIU Brooklyn’s Jason Brickman holds the NEC Tournament single-game mark with 13 assists set in the quarterfinals against Sacred Heart on March 1, 2012. His 29 assists in the 2012 tourney is also a league record.
56. Saint Francis U’s Ronnie Drinnon set a new NEC Tournament single-game rebounding standard when he hauled in 22 in a quarterfinal setback to Fairleigh Dickinson on March 2, 2016.
57. Robert Morris has qualified for 34 of the league’s 37 postseason tournaments - the most in league history - since the inception of the conference in 1982. Fairleigh Dickinson is second with 30 appearances. The Colonials missed out on the festivities in 1991, 2001 and 2003, while the Knights failed to qualify in 2002, 2008, 2009, 2011-13 and 2015.
58. Retired CCSU head coach Howie Dickenman won 15 NEC Tournament games, second all-time to NEC Hall of Famer Tom Green, who won 26 at FDU from 1983-09.
59. The Mount’s Jamion Christian (2014 & 2017), RMU’s Andrew Toole (2015) and FDU’s Greg Herenda (2016) are the head coaches in this year’s NEC Tournament field to have won a league championship. Toole also won two NEC titles as an assistant in 2009 and 2010.
60. Mount St. Mary’s (1999) is the lone NEC school to win the conference title without having both a winning overall and conference record prior to entering the tournament.
61. Monmouth’s Alex Blackwell (1990), Rider’s Charles Smith (1994) and Robert Morris’ Karon Abraham (2010) are the only three players to win both NEC Rookie of the Year and NEC Tournament MVP in the same season.
62. St. Francis Brooklyn is the lone NEC charter member - a group that also includes Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Robert Morris, Saint Francis U and Wagner - that has yet to win an NEC title. The Terriers have also played the most games in NEC Tournament history (40) without winning a championship.
63. LIU Brooklyn’s Jack Perri, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Tom Green and Marist’s Dave Magarity are the only head coaches in league history to capture the NEC Tournament in the first season with their clubs.
64. The largest margin of victory in an NEC Tournament game is 35 points. That came on March 1, 1996 when Mount St. Mary’s defeated LIU Brooklyn, 93-58.
65. Robert Morris set a new NEC Tournament record on March 6, 2004, holding St. Francis U to just 43 points in a quarterfinal victory.
66. Monmouth’s Rahsaan Johnson holds the NEC Tournament single-game scoring mark with 40 points in an 86-70 loss to St. Francis Brooklyn on March 3, 2000.
67. LIU Brooklyn’s Carey Scurry once blocked 14 (!) shots in an NEC Tournament game against Baltimore on February 28, 1983.
68. This year’s event marks the 37th NEC Tournament. The first was won by Robert Morris, which beat LIU Brooklyn, 85-84, on a Phil Coles buzzer beater.
Team-By-Team Capsules
#1 Wagner (21-8, 14-4 NEC)
• Wagner is back in the NEC Tournament for the seventh straight year, the last six under Bashir Mason. The Seahawks have been seeded first (2016), second twice (2013 and 2014), third (2017) and seventh (2015) under Mason.
• Wagner is 5-1 in the NEC Tournament in two appearances as the #1 seed (2003, 2016). The Seahawks won their lone NEC championship in 2003 with all-time great Jermaine Hall earning Tournament MVP honors.
• Wagner’s eight-year streak of qualifying for the postseason is currently the second longest in the league behind RMU’s 15 straight appearances.
• The Seahawks have earned a #3 or higher seed in six of the last seven years and have advanced to the semis in five of the last six seasons.
• Wagner is 5-5 in the NEC Tournament under head coach Bashir Mason.
• When playing in Staten Island, the Seahawks are 14-11 in NEC Tournament play, including going 10-9 in the Spiro Sports Center (opened February, 1999). Wagner is 7-18 in the postseason in road and neutral sites.
• The Seahawks are 15-13 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games.
• Wagner’s has been ousted from the NEC Tournament at home in five of the last six years, with four coming in the semis and one in the 2016 title game to FDU.
• The Seahawks also reached the NEC final in 1993 (losing to Rider), 2005 (losing to FDU) and 2016 (losing to FDU).
• Wagner has won all three of its NEC Tournament games against first round opponent CCSU, all coming at quarterfinal home games from 2012-14.
• Wagner has compiled an all-time NEC Tournament record of 21-29 in 29 trips.
• Wagner’s 21 wins this season are tied for fourth all-time at the school and the most in Mason’s tenure.
#2 Mount St. Mary's (18-13, 12-6 NEC)
• After staking claim to the #2 seed, defending NEC champion Mount St. Mary’s has now qualified for the NEC Tournament six straight times, 12 of the last 13 seasons and 22 times in 27 years since joining the NEC.
• The Mount is 8-2 in quarterfinal play since the 2007 season.
• Mount St. Mary’s is 27-16 all-time in NEC Tournament games. The Mount’s .628 tournament winning percentage is second all-time in the conference and first among current NEC institutions.
• The Mountaineers are 9-3 in the NEC Tournament under head coach Jamion Christian, including an impressive 5-2 mark on the road.
• The Mount is 1-1 in the opening round, 14-6 in the quarterfinals, 7-7 in the semifinals and 5-2 in the championship game.
• The Mount is 14-6 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games, going 8-2 at home, 3-3 on the road, and 3-1 at neutral sites.
• Since 2006-07, the Mount is 16-7 in the NEC Tournament, posting an 8-1 mark at home and 8-6 record on the road.
• The Mount is 13-3 all-time at home in the NEC Tournament.
• The Mount won NEC titles in 1995, 1999, 2008, 2014 and 2017.
• Mount St. Mary’s has advanced to the NEC Championship game in five of the past 10 seasons, winning three times (2008, 2014, 2017).
• The Mount owns the distinction of being the lowest (#6 in 1999) and second-lowest seed (#4 in 2008 and 2014) to win the NEC title.
• Mount St. Mary’s is the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament for the third time with a 5-1 all-time mark in that spot. The Mount won the title in 1994-95 as the #2 seed, and lost in the championship game in 2008-09 as the #2 seed.
• In 2008, the Mount became the second team to win both the semifinals and finals on the road to capture the tournament title. Mount St. Mary’s did it again in 2014, winning at Wagner in the semis and at Robert Morris in the final.
• The Mount is 6-4 all-time against RMU in the NEC Tournament, including 2-1 in the NEC quarterfinal round.
#3 Saint Francis U (18-11, 12-6 NEC)
• Saint Francis U returns to the NEC playoffs for the fifth straight season. This marks the first five-game postseason stretch for the Red Flash since qualifying ten straight years from 1999-08.
• The #3 seed is the highest for the program since claiming the #1 seed in 1991.
• After playing 15 consecutive NEC Tournament road or neutral games, the Red Flash will host a playoff game for the second straight year.
• The Red Flash have reached the NEC semifinals in three of the last four seasons.
• SFU’s championship game appearance in 2017 was the first for the program since winning its lone NEC title in 1991.
• Prior to a victory in the 2014 quarterfinals, SFU had not won an NEC Tournament game since 1995.
• SFU is 1-3 all-time against FDU in NEC Tournament play with the win coming in the 1991 title contest.
• Rob Krimmel is 4-4 in NEC Tournament play as SFU’s head coach.
• This is Rob Krimmel’s 13th NEC Tournament as a player or coach.
• SFU has now finished .500 or better in NEC play in each of the last four years, and the Red Flash’s 12 NEC wins are the most since posting 13 wins in their 1990-91 championship season.
• The Red Flash are 11-23 all-time in NEC Tournament play, including a 7-2 record at home, 3-16 record on the road and 0-5 at neutral sites.
• SFU enters the tournament with a five-game win streak, its longest since 2010-11.
#4 LIU Brooklyn (15-16, 10-8 NEC)
• LIU Brooklyn is back in the postseason for the fourth straight year and has now qualified in ten of the last 11 seasons.
• The Blackbirds are the only team in league history to win three straight NEC Tournament titles. The Blackbirds’ three-year run came from 2011-13.
• LIU has won five NEC championships in 1984, 1997, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
• LIU will be hosting a quarterfinal game for the second straight year.
• The Blackbirds are 31-24 all-time in NEC play. LIU is 16-2 as the top seed, and 15-22 when entering as a lower seed.
• LIU Is 13-13 in NEC quarterfinal games.
• LIU Brooklyn’s nine straight playoff wins from 2011-13 is the longest streak in league history.
• The Blackbirds are 19-5 (.792) all-time at home in the NEC Tournament. The 19 wins are the second-most in league history.
• LIU has posted a 3-5 record in five appearances as the #4 seed with wins in 1998, 2005 and 2010.
• LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn have split their four tournament games. They last met back in 2015 when the Blackbirds fell to the top-seeded Terriers.
#5 St. Francis Brooklyn (13-17, 10-8 NEC)
• St. Francis Brooklyn has qualified for the NEC Tournament in seven of the eight years with Glenn Braica as head coach. The Terriers missed out on the proceedings last year.
• SFBK has competed in the league championship game in 2001 (losing to Monmouth, 67-64), 2003 (losing to Wagner, 78-61) and 2015 (losing to Robert Morris, 66-63).
• SFBK exceeded expectations and then some after being picked tenth by coaches in the NEC preseason poll.
• The Terriers had lost eight consecutive NEC quarterfinal contests and nine straight overall in the postseason prior to winning twice to advance to the 2015 NEC title game. The victories broke a 12-year winless drought in March.
• The Terriers reached the NEC semifinals five straight seasons from 1999-03.
• SFBK twice earned the top seed in the NEC Tournament in 2001 and 2015.
• From 1991-2005, SFBK qualified for 15 straight NEC Tournaments.
• The Terriers have split four games with LIU Brooklyn in the playoffs. Most recently, SFBK downed LIU in the 2015 quarters to begin its march to the title game.
• St. Francis Brooklyn is 12-28 all-time in the NEC Tournament.
• SFBK is the lone NEC charter member that has yet to win a tournament title. The Terriers have played the most games in NEC Tournament history (40) without winning a championship. SFBK is also one of five schools that have never made the NCAA Tournament since the modern reclassification of the Division in 1948.
#6 Fairleigh Dickinson (12-17, 9-9 NEC)
• Fairleigh Dickinson is back in the postseason for the fourth time in five years.
• The Knights have now qualified for 30 of the 37 NEC Tournaments. FDU has made 18 semifinal appearances and ten championship game appearances.
• FDU won NEC Tournaments in 1985, 1988, 1998, 2005 and 2016.
• This is the second straight year and third time in its history that the Knights have entered the postseason as a #6 seed (2007 and 2017).
• FDU is 30-24 all-time in the NEC Tournament and has reached the finals ten times (5-5).
• The Knights are 3-1 all-time vs. SFU in the NEC Tournament, including a two-point win over the Red Flash in the 2016 quarterfinals that jump started their run to the NEC title.
• FDU is 15-10 all-time in NEC quarterfinal/first round games, 10-8 in the semifinals, 5-5 in championship games and 0-1 in outbracket games.
• FDU’s five NEC Tournament championships is tied with LIU Brooklyn and Mount St. Mary’s for second all-time behind Robert Morris’ eight titles.
• The Knights have posted three straight .500 or better NEC seasons for the first time since 2005-07.
#7 Robert Morris (15-16, 9-9 NEC)
• The Colonials are making their 15th straight NEC Tournament appearance and 34th in the 37 years of the tourney. The 15 consecutive berths represent the NEC’s longest current streak and the 34 appearances are the most in league history.
• This is RMU’s fourth NEC Tournament appearance as the #7 seed. The Colonials were seeded seventh in both 1985 and 1998, falling to FDU on both occasions, and in 2017, where they pulled off the upset over #2 LIU Brooklyn.
• Robert Morris has finished .500 or better in NEC play in 14 of the last 15 years. The Colonials set a new NEC record with 12 straight seasons with at least a .500 mark from 2003-15.
• Robert Morris has built an all-time record of 40-25 (.615) in the NEC Tournament. The 40 wins are the most in conference history and the Colonials rank third all-time in NEC Tournament win percentage behind Rider and Mount St. Mary’s.
• The Colonials hold the league record with eight NEC Tournament championships (1982-83, 1989-90, 1992, 2009-10 and 2015).
• The second-longest win streak in NEC Tournament history is eight, shared by Robert Morris (1982-84 and 2009-11) and Rider (1993-95).
• Robert Morris has won back-to-back league titles three times (1982-83, 1989-90 and 2009-10).
• The Colonials have advanced to the NEC title game in six of the past nine years.
• The Colonials have reached the semifinals of the tourney nine of the last 11 years and 20 times overall, the most in NEC history.
• RMU is 8-10 (.444) in playoff road games.
• RMU is 4-6 all-time against the Mount in the NEC playoffs. RMU and the Mount have met in the postseason more than any other two programs. They have squared off in nine of the last 13 years, including five straight years from 2006-10. The Mount ousted RMU from the 2017 NEC semis.
#8 Central Connecticut (14-17, 7-11 NEC)
• CCSU returns to the postseason for the first time since 2014 and for the first time under second-year head coach Donyell Marshall.
• Prior to the three-year absence from the NEC Tournament, the Blue Devils had qualified 16 straight seasons.
• CCSU is the #8 seed for the second time in its history. Back in 2005, top-seeded Monmouth needed a buzzer-beating layup to prevent the Blue Devils from securing the first ever #8 over #1 upset.
• CCSU is 15-13 (.536) all-time in NEC Tournament play.
• The Blue Devils have won three NEC titles (2000, 2002 and 2007).
• The Blue Devils are 7-9 in NEC quarterfinal games, 5-2 in semifinal games and 3-2 in the finals.
• CCSU last advanced to the NEC semifinals in 2011.
• CCSU and Wagner will meet for the fourth time in the postseason. The two schools met three straight years in the NEC Tournament from 2012-14 with the Seahawks winning all three in the quarterfinals.
• Counting neutral site games, CCSU is 6-5 in NEC Tournament games played at the Spiro Center.
• CCSU is 9-7 all-time in NEC Tournament play against the teams that make up the 2018 bracket.
• The Blue Devils have never won a true road game in the NEC Tournament. They are 0-9 as the road team in conference tournament action.
• The entire Blue Devils’ roster will be making its first NEC postseason appearance.
NEC TOURNAMENT TITLES AND RECORDS
SCHOOL TITLES LAST TOURNEY RECORD
Robert Morris 8 2015 40-25
Mount St. Mary’s 5 2017 27-16
Fairleigh Dickinson 5 2016 30-24
LIU Brooklyn 5 2013 31-24
Central Connecticut 3 2007 15-13
Wagner 1 2003 21-29
Saint Francis U 1 1991 11-23
Sacred Heart 0 5-9
St. Francis Brooklyn 0 12-28
Bryant 0 1-4
PAST NEC TOURNAMENT WINNERS AND MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
2017 -- #1 Mount St. Mary's def. #4 Saint Francis U, 71-61 (Elijah Long, MSM)
2016 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 Wagner, 87-79 (Earl Potts Jr., FDU)
2015 -- #2 Robert Morris def. #1 St. Francis Brooklyn, 66-63 (Rodney Pryor, RMU)
2014 -- #4 Mount St. Mary’s def. #1 Robert Morris, 88-71 (Rashad Whack, MSM)
2013 -- #3 LIU Brooklyn def. #5 Mount St. Mary’s, 91-70 (C.J. Garner, LIU)
2012 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Robert Morris, 90-73 (Julian Boyd, LIU)
2011 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Robert Morris, 85-82 (OT) (Jamal Olasewere, LIU)
2010 -- #2 Robert Morris def. #1 Quinnipiac, 52-50 (Karon Abraham, RMU)
2009 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Mount St. Mary’s, 48-46 (Jeremy Chappell, RMU)
2008 -- #4 Mount St. Mary’s def. #3 Sacred Heart, 68-55 (Jean Cajou, MSM)
2007 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #2 Sacred Heart, 74-70 (Javier Mojica, CCSU)
2006 -- #3 Monmouth def. #1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 49-48 (Marques Alston, MU)
2005 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #6 Wagner, 58-52 (Tamien Trent, FDU)
2004 -- #1 Monmouth def. #7 Central Connecticut State, 67-55 (Blake Hamilton, MU)
2003 -- #1 Wagner def. #6 St. Francis Brooklyn, 78-61 (Jermaine Hall, WC)
2002 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #7 Quinnipiac, 78-71 (Damian Battles, CCSU)
2001 -- #2 Monmouth def. #1 St. Francis Brooklyn, 67-64 (Rahsaan Johnson, MU)
2000 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #3 Robert Morris, 63-46 (Rick Mickens, CCSU)
1999 -- #6 Mount St. Mary’s def. #4 Central Connecticut , 72-56 (Gregory Harris, MSM)
1998 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 LIU Brooklyn, 105-91 (Rahshon Turner, FDU)
1997 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Monmouth, 72-67 (Charles Jones, LIU)
1996 -- #3 Monmouth def. #4 Rider, 60-59 (Corey Albano, MU)
1995 -- #2 Mount St. Mary’s def. #1 Rider, 69-62 (Silas Cheung, MSM)
1994 -- #1 Rider def. #2 Monmouth, 62-56 (Charles Smith, RID)
1993 -- #1 Rider def. #2 Wagner, 65-64 (Darrick Suber, RID)
1992 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #7 Marist, 85-81 (Myron Walker, RMU)
1991 -- #1 St. Francis U def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 97-82 (Mike Iuzzolino, SFPA)
1990 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Monmouth, 71-66 (Alex Blackwell, MU)
1989 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 67-66 (Vaughn Luton, RMU)
1988 -- #1 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #2 Monmouth, 90-75 (Jaime Latney, FDU)
1987 -- #1 Marist def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 64-55 (OT) (Drafton Davis, MAR)
1986 -- #2 Marist def. #1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 57-56 (OT) (Rik Smits, MAR)
1985 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #4 Loyola (MD), 63-59 (Larry Hampton, FDU)
1984 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #2 Robert Morris, 87-81 (Carey Scurry, LIU)
1983 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #1N LIU Brooklyn, 79-67 (Chipper Harris, RMU)
1982 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #2N LIU Brooklyn, 85-84 (Tom Parks, RMU)